BTCA Visakhapatnam

Introduction

What is a BTCA? A BTCA is a one-stop enterprise / self-employment / green job creation training centre. It delivers a 20-lesson course designed to develop a Business Idea into a fully-fledged, viable Business Plan. Each BTCA houses an energetic community of young entrepreneurs led by local professional managers and young Local and international volunteers who run the trainings and one-on-one business plan clinics.

The key differences between a BTCA and other business schools are:

It is free to any young person under 30 years old, whatever their educational qualification: if a trainee requires remedial literacy, numeracy or IT training, the BTCA staff provide it.

It has a built-in Revolving loan Fund (RLF) – so it combines training with a youth-friendly micro-finance bank that gives non-collateralised loans to start up the best business plans its trainees develop at the Academy;

It is Youth-led: this means that the trainings are youth-friendly and completely un-intimidating. There is no educational qualification required

There is an intentional ‘Green Economy’ focus in the BTCA: many traditional business schools ignore environmental issues considering them, if at all, as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility agenda. The BTCA trains young people to dream up businesses that nourish, conserve and restore environmental resources while also making money for their managers.

Trainings are delivered at the Indo-German Institute in Visakhapatnam, and are scheduled at times convenient to the young people attending them;

Each Trainee who completes the course receives a Be the Change Certificate which includes self-, peer-, trainer- and independent panel-assessment by HR professionals, of the trainee’s skill-set.

How do I get in? The Training is FREE – but each trainee must pay the price of admission: that price is the ‘seed of a business idea.’ You must show, on your application form, and – in particular, what you write on the back of it about your business idea – that you are serious about becoming a self-employed entrepreneur and create your own job, rather than wait for some one else to offer you a job on a plate. That is why it is called a “Be the Change Academy” – the name is drawn from that great call to self-reliance: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” You cannot wait around and let others dictate the trajectory of your life: take the chance to chart your own course, be your own boss, create your own livelihood – employ others. Self-employment is not for everyone – but in a shrinking and increasingly competitive job market, it is the only sure job.

How long will it take?The total learning process happens in three phases over 90 days.

Induction phase (1 week)– In this phase, the fellows undergo soft skills, language skills and confidence building sessions to set them ready for learning vital skills with the right attitude.

Teaching Phase (5 weeks)– This is the most vital phase in the process. The fellows will undergo 20X Lesson plans on various business development skills and 10X Lesson plans on sustainability, climate change and building a green economy. At the end of this phase, each fellow would have the learning to transform their idea into a workable Business plan.

Accelerator Phase (6 weeks) – The budding entrepreneurs are given a chance to test and evaluate their business plans real time to make them fail proof in this phase. The fellows will be hosted and mentored by successful entrepreneurs running identical or similar businesses. Through these entrepreneurs, the BTCA fellows will gain about 500 hours of grassroots experience on initiatives impacting strategy, management, research and development, operations and sustainability.

Mentorship & Incubation (1 year): The entrepreneurs have a choice to be incubated at BTCA Visakhapatnam to avail the mentorship support and other allied benefits.

Induction and teaching phases are mandatory for the fellow to attend and are residential. The fellows should be available for the training at Visakhapatnam during this 6 week period. Accelerator phase is mandatory but flexible. A BTCA fellow can choose to work with an entrepreneur of his choice even outside Visakhapatnam. However they will have to submit weekly learning reports to their mentors during the accelerator phase.

What if I am already running a business? So much the better. A Be the Change Academy is a learning community: we learn from each other. Several of our best trainees take time out of their busy business lives to do the BTCA training to develop a proper business plan to improve their business. Other trainees learn an immense amount from them – but they learn too, especially how to create a first rate Business Plan.

How to Apply?Please use the Application Form to register your interest in taking the BTCA training course in Visakhapatnam. Please send the filled application forms to [email protected] with Application for 1st Cohort as the subject.

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